This relates to testing and, more particularly, to testing of electronic device structures.
Electronic devices such as computers, cellular telephones, music players, and other electronic equipment are often provided with wireless communications circuitry. In a typical configuration, the wireless communications circuitry includes a radio-frequency transceiver that is coupled to an antenna through a radio-frequency switch connector. The transceiver, the switch connector, and an impedance matching circuit are formed on a printed circuit board. The antenna is connected to the printed circuit board through an antenna connector or other coupling mechanism (i.e., via a screw or a spring).
During normal device operation, the switch connector serves to electrically connect the transceiver to the antenna so that radio-frequency signals can be conveyed between the transceiver and the antenna. During testing, a radio-frequency test probe is mated with the switch connector to perform radio-frequency testing on the transceiver (i.e., by decoupling the antenna from the transceiver). The test probe is connected to a test box such as a vector network analyzer through a coaxial cable. Radio-frequency test signals are conveyed between the vector network analyzer and the transceiver during transceiver testing.
To satisfy consumer demand for small form factor wireless devices, manufacturers are continually striving to implement wireless communications components using compact structures. As device size continues to decrease, there may be insufficient space for the placement of the switch connector on the printed circuit board. To test the transceiver in the absence of the switch connector, the transceiver may be accessed via the antenna connector (with the antenna disconnected from the printed circuit board). If, however, the antenna is decoupled from the antenna connector and the impedance matching circuit is connected in series between the transceiver and the antenna connector on the printed circuit board, the test probe connected to the antenna connector will not see a 50 ohm impedance looking into the transceiver.
In view of these considerations, it would be desirable to provide improved ways for testing wireless transceiver circuitry.